Republican Tom Emmer commented today on a 2008 campaign donation to a group that is linked to statements that said “homosexuality is an abomination” and gays are “predators.”

Emmer’s campaign for announced yesterday that it was working with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board to see if Emmer violated campaign finance law by donating more than the legal limit to You Can Run International.

The 2008 campaign finance report says Emmer’s campaign gave a $250 nonprofit donation to the group – $150 more than the limit. But a spokesman for Emmer’s campaign for governor said last night that the funds went to buy a table for a dinner with the group. Here’s what Emmer said when he was asked about the donation:

“I bought a table. That’s a non-issue. You got some information yesterday when I was on the road. Bradlee Dean, Jake… I met them a couple of times. One of the my constituents is a great supporter of theirs. He asked me to get involved. We were going to have some young kids go to one of their annual events. We bought a table. That’s what that’s about.”

Reporter: “Do you support his comments or where do you stand on what he’s been saying?”

Emmer: “I met Bradlee and Jake a couple of times. I think they’re good people. I don’t know what they said. I don’t know, wasn’t there, haven’t heard it. Some folks have told me in the last 12 hours that somebody might ask about it. This is a non-issue. I don’t condone violence and would never support it. When somebody says something that’s strong and suggests that, that’s not what I’m about.

The only violence should be with a couple of referees on a hockey rink with sticks and pucks.”

Emmer made the comments during a news conference announcing a statewide listening tour. We’ll post information regarding dates and times of the tour once the campaign releases the information.

About the blogger

Tom Scheck has covered politics and state government for more than ten years for MPR News. He’s covered several gubernatorial campaigns, two statewide recounts, the presidential bids of Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, U.S. Senate races, close Congressional contests and the Minnesota Legislature. He lives in Falcon Heights with his wife, son and dog. He can sometimes be found chasing a white ball on a golf course. It isn’t a straight walk. Tips are welcome at tscheck@mpr.org

The term you’re looking for is “anti-yellow-hackery” machine. Birkey’s piece was deeply misleading. Kudos to Tom Scheck for actually reporting the facts.

And I”m not worried at all, “sheridan”, and no, I’ve never beaten my wife either. When did you stop?

MNObserver

So Emmer said anti-gay Bradlee Dean and company were “good people” before they applauded the morality of those who would execute gay people.

And now he’s slightly backing away from them after these statements, but Emmer’s stance on gay issues over the years has hardly been one of tolerance and acceptance. Even now, when directly asked about the statements, Emmer’s response is that it’s a “non-issue” and that he doesn’t condone violence.

Kind of a Rand Paul moment, except for that part where Rand Paul insists he deplores racial discrimination. I don’t think the same can be said about Emmer’s stance on the civil rights of gay people.

http://www.shotinthedark.info MBerg

“So Emmer said anti-gay Bradlee Dean and company were “good people” before they applauded the morality of those who would execute gay people.”

Well, no. He observed – correctly – that Brad and Jake and company are good people. And, “MNob” (why must you blog anonymously?), as I noted in my piece on the subject, Dean was talking theology, not advocating civic policy – and criticizing sharia law in the process.

I know facts don’t matter to you, MNob, but to some they might.

“And now he’s slightly backing away from them after these statements”

Nonsense. Emmer is about taxation and spending, not social policy.

“Kind of a Rand Paul moment, except for that part where Rand Paul insists he deplores racial discrimination. I don’t think the same can be said about Emmer’s stance on the civil rights of gay people.”

You have no idea what Emmer believes about gay rights.

I do. It’s come up on my show. Emmer believes in traditional marriage (as do most voters); but doesn’t see the Governorship as a platform for pushing social policy. He’s got bigger fish to fry.

Sorry, MNob. Your chanting points will always wither in the face of fact.

http://www.shotinthedark.info MBerg

Look – what we have here is an attempt by the DFL and some of their pals in the regional media to try to smear Emmer by very dubious association (using a sloppy, out-of-context report to do it). And while their sycophants among the local lefty smear machine are eating it up, the fact is there is no there there.

Between that and Tom’s piece (kudos), there really is no more to say. Nobody with an IQ above plant life is going to buy the idea that Emmer hates gays. Give it up.

MNObserver

Must have hit some nerve. Mitch starts insulting right out of the chute.

But the record shows that Emmer has been about social policy all along. Soon after his election, he proposed clumsy legislation for the castration of sex offenders. He tried to eliminate all Department of Health funding for the state’s largest AIDS-prevention program because a gay website squicked him back in 2005. He’s supported the “rights” of pharmacists to refuse to dispense prescribed medication they don’t like. He supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. He opposes anti-bullying legislation. He voted against the Final Wishes Bill. He signs on to whatever anti-abortion legislation the MCCL proposes. MCCL and Tom Pritchard have been giving him 90-100% ratings ever since he arrived in St. Paul.

Brad and Jake – whether or not they can be “good people” while calling homosexuality an abomination – have nothing to do with Candidate Emmer’s record. It speaks for itself, and it’s all about pushing social policy – his social policy.

http://lloydletta.blogspot.com Eva Young

Emmer needs to answer more questions about where he stands regarding gays. As MNObserver stated, his record speaks for itself. I’m curious whether he would sign a bill that would repeal the sodomy law in this state. Yes, the law is unconstitutional, but has never been removed from the books – and is an embarrassment to this state.

Also, Bradlee Dean has a long record of making incendiary remarks about gays on his show.

Wesley

I find it interesting that both sides comment but don’t support their facts with locations with which to find their information.

It kind of reminds me of the argument that claims that Obama is Muslim….but they have done no research. Obama owns a dog, Muslims are not permitted to own dogs.

It reminds me of the “Oliver North” Email that claimed that Gore questioned him about a security system, and blowing Osama off the face of the earth. It’s like the rumor that claims Obama made certain statements about the flag on Meet The Press (I think it was), but he wasn’t even on the show on the day mentioned. It was Biden that was on the show.

I request that you support your “facts” with the equivalent of a bibliography. Until you do, your “Facts” simply don’t hold water.

http://www.mnpatriots.com Ford

All this chatter about nothing is laughable. The lefties took the bait on this one. And now they are running with it like a bunch of lemmings–right over the cliff.

Near as I can figure, all the reporting is about reporting. He bought a table at an event. Somebody at the event later made a stupid comment and it got written down as being attributed to the Emmer campaign. Lemmeesseee…. He breathes the same air as tens of thousands of pediphiles, so does that make him a pediphile too? Get real! The rock group visits our high schools during assemblies. If anybody is advocating the murder of anybody else, it would be front page news.

This is absolutely laughable… Sally Jo, maybe you can step in and elevate the conversation to somehow at least involve reality.

MNObserver

Wesley, I’ve tried several times (once on Sunday and once earlier today) to post the “bibliography” you requested, consisting primarily of links to documents from the collection of press releases on Candidate Emmer’s Legislative page, his campaign page, and links to the roll calls on the Final Wishes and Anti-bullying legislation. For some reason, those comments are not appearing here. Too many links, maybe.